COST OF LIVING

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 August 1930, Page 3

COST OF LIVING

RETAIL PRICES.

The retail-price index (Dominion weighted average) for the three food groups as at June 15, was 1537 (on the base average prices in the four centres during the years 1909-13 — 1000), shows a decrease of 4 points as compared with that for the previous month, and an increase of 43.6 pel’ cent over that for July, 1914, states the Government Statistician. Flour has risen slightly in price, while potato prices have fallen in most centres; the resultant index number for the groceries group is pnlj r 1 point lower than that for May. The dairy-pi'oduce index number has fallen 14 points. Egg prices show a reduction, while butter and cheese

have fluctuated in price, increases being noted in some centres and de-

creases in others. The index number for the meat groups is fairly stationary, having moved downwards 3 points as compared with May.

Expenditure on food constitutes somewhat less than two-fifths of the expenditure of an average household. In order to present a more complete picture of movements in retail prices generally, statistics regarding the retail prices of clothing, drapery, an'd footwear, and of miscellaneous items of family expenditure, are collected at quarterly intervals, and when combined with the indexes for food, rent, and fuel, and light, approximately 87 per cent, of the average household expenditure is represented. The June food and fuel and light when combined with the May clothing, drapery, footwear, and miscellaneous index numbers, and the,. February rent index, give an allgroups index 58.3 per cent, above the July, 1914 level, so that it now takes £l/11/8 on the average to purchase what could have been purchased for £1 in that month.